Creative oddities and brand shenanigans: RIMOWA's pre-loved prestige, Wedgwood's AI playground, Bologna FC's cradle recruits

Luxury luggage brand RIMOWA's re-crafted program draws on the stories of past adventures

Ever seen someone wrestling a busted RIMOWA suitcase through an airport? Didn't think so.

With 125+ years of German craftsmanship, its instantly recognisable grooved aluminium suitcases are built to last. Often, even when replaced, they have decades of use left.

Enter RIMOWA Re-Crafted, which is now available in the US.

This programme takes pre-loved suitcases and gives them a thorough 'luggage MOT' by the original makers, ensuring full function. Crucially, the signs of a life well-travelled – dents, scratches, stickers – are left untouched, making each piece a unique story.

These suitcases have already seen the world, yet their journeys are just beginning.

In an era of disposable culture, Re-Crafted redefines luxury, celebrating well-used pieces as prestigious as new ones. It's proof that enduring quality beats temporary trends.

Bonkers by design: Wedgwood unleashes AI tool to reimagine iconic Jasperware

Wedgwood has emerged again with a rather clever bit of traditional heritage and cutting-edge culture-based fusion. The latest English fine China brand launch is a partnership with digital agency XXII Studio to unveil an innovative generative AI tool named "Jasper 250".

It celebrates the 250th anniversary of Wedgwood's iconic Jasperware (distinctive matte stoneware with delicate white reliefs on coloured backgrounds, iconic of the brand) while inviting a new generation of designers to engage with its rich heritage.

Nicely done.

All by empowering users to design their own ware pieces, generating what Wedgwood describes as, well…" totally bonkers results".

This arrives hot on the heels of its brilliant collaboration with Palace Skateboards, which brought British heritage together with contemporary skate culture, showcasing wit and creative craftsmanship via a limited-edition china collection.

To further engage the public in its AI collaboration, Wedgwood is hosting a competition in which designs created using the Jasper 250 tool will be submitted for consideration. The winning entry will be 3d-printed and permanently housed in the V&A Wedgwood Collection, which boasts over 175,000 objects. This piece will be showcased in the upcoming exhibition, 'Unpacking the V&A Wedgwood Collection: Jasper 250,' opening this June.

It's all a relatively simple but hugely effective and beautifully executed way of speaking to a younger audience, in a manner that is reminiscent of fashion and culture brands that offer the sense of co-creation that 16-25-year-olds demand these days.

From birth certificate to season ticket: Serie A side's innovative baby boom fan plan

To "get 'em while they are young", Italian Serie A side Bologna FC is playing the long game in a move that's less transfer window drama and more heartwarming community hug.

Bologna FC, partnering with the city council, is gifting an official club kit to every newborn in Bologna starting this year. Under the banner "Sin Dall'inizio Forza Bologna" ("From the Beginning, Forza Bologna").

This initiative ensures every new arrival is welcomed into the Bologna family and dressed in club colours immediately, regardless of their parents' team allegiance.

It's a promise delivered from the very beginning.

Moreover, each mini replica of the official iconic blue and red stripes is presented in a keepsake box, and parents are directed to local hospitals and city offices to collect it.

Turning the moment that bleary-eyed new mums and dads head into town to register the birth into early recruitment of future potential season ticket holders as the mid-table team builds a legacy, one tiny fan at a time.

A brilliant, if brash, way of building a fan base, this one speaks to the Italians' deep-seated love of the beautiful game in a way that, quite literally, weaves the club's love into the fabric of the city. And further proof (if any more were needed) that Alan Hansen was wrong when he said, "You can't win anything with kids."